Tag Archives: inspiration

WHAT SIGN IS NEEDED?

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LifeLink Devotions

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

In 738 B.C., Ahaz became the king of Israel. His enemies were numerous, and fear of being overthrown captivated him. He was a king imprisoned in his own kingdom because he would not listen to God’s voice and trust God’s promises. God sent the prophet Isaiah to him to assure him that the enemies who were plotting his demise would not be successful. We learn from later historical records that these enemies twice tried to overthrow Jerusalem and were unsuccessful both times. But for now Ahaz would not believe God’s words. So, God offered to give him a sign that would prove His words were true. Ahaz, in a moment of apparent humility, refused the sign, saying, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test.” Yet Ahaz was already negotiating with Assyria to be Jerusalem’s ally and defender in the event of an invasion, and he was already stripping the temple of gold to pay for the alliance. Ahaz was refusing to trust God until his own resources were exhausted.

There’s a quick and powerful lesson for us already, and we haven’t even gotten to the best part yet. Like Ahaz, we tend to trust our own abilities and resources before we trust in God. I wonder how many roads we have travelled thinking we were on the right path when they were only detours from the main road of God’s will. We chose those roads because they seemed correct and convenient within the context of our own conscience, but they did not conform to God’s communication with us. We ignored His signs and proceeded down the path of our own experience. We looked only at the immediate, at the expense of God’s future. In our pride, we depended on our own knowledge, abilities, and resources when we could have had God’s. What a mess we have made of life by not listening to God!

When he refused the sign God offered, God said He would choose one for him. Now think about this for a minute. What sign would you want to see? You could ask for anything in the “deepest depths or the highest heights.” (verse 11) Would you ask for a mountain to rise out of the middle of the ocean with a mansion already built on top? Maybe you would ask for the stars in the sky to be permanently arranged to spell your name for everyone to see every night. What sign would you seek that would prove to you that God is both real and trustworthy?

God chose this sign – a virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a baby boy who will be God himself. God could have chosen to reveal His power over creation, but instead He chose to reveal Himself to His creation. Instead of showing us what He can do, He showed us who He is. Instead of enhancing the mystery of who He is, He solved the mystery by coming as one of us so we could know Him. Rather than risk the rise of fear by demonstrating some miraculous power over nature and further separating Himself from us, He eliminated fear by revealing to us His nature of love and drawing us to Himself. God’s sign for all the world to see is Jesus, God in the flesh, saving man from his sin.

Ahaz would never get to see that sign because He refused to trust God’s Word. Millions have not seen the sign today either because they are looking for the wrong kinds of signs. Or maybe they aren’t looking for a sign at all because they believe they are still capable of managing their own outcomes. They are not listening for God’s voice, and even if they hear it they refuse to trust what He says.

Immanuel – “God is with us” – is God’s sign to the world. We who have heard His word and have seen His sign, become the sign to others who do not yet believe. God is with us. Let His sign be seen clearly.

Pastor John

BE A BLESSING

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LifeLink Devotions

Monday, December 4, 2023

In 1986 I was living in Watertown, South Dakota. I thought I had a great life with my wonderful wife and three kids. I was working as the Program Director for one of the largest radio stations in the state and was quite well-known. I was pastor of a church in a community 25 miles away and travelled there every Sunday and Wednesday. We had developed some very close and intimate relationships, some of which are still thriving today. I golfed with my best friend, went fishing with guys from work, went pheasant and duck hunting with other friends, and I had a 1964 red Ford pickup truck. Wow! Could life get any better?

Then God called. He made it clear it was time to become a full-time pastor. We packed everything up, sold the house, the boat, the shotgun, and even the pick-up (as a tear comes to my eye), and we moved to Wisconsin. We trusted His word that says obedience brings blessing. We were about to experience it. At first I looked for the blessing in the return of the material things. But that’s not where God chose to bless. He blessed us with a harvest of souls and with a deep peace and satisfaction that we were in His perfect will. The thrill of waking every morning to the joy of serving Jesus cannot be replaced or duplicated with things. We had gone from a new home to an old bat-infested one, but it didn’t matter – we were obeying the LORD. We had gone from being well-known to being nobodies, but it didn’t matter – we were known by God and we were making Him known. We had very little, but we were being blessed with every spiritual blessing from heaven. We experienced the incredible blessing of simply trusting God.

Once we learned that, God began to restore the material blessings. God gave us new friends. One day a new friend gave me a deer rifle and a place to hunt deer. Later another new friend gave me a boat. A Christian brother helped me get a Jeep. God’s people built us a house. Little by little God gave us back the desires of our hearts because we had made Him the desire of our hearts. What a blessing it is to obey God!

Abraham was promised the blessing of God for His obedience as well.

Genesis 12:1-4 “The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” So Abram left, as the LORD had told him;”

Abraham’s blessings, measured by the world’s standards, were much greater than mine. However, his blessings, measured from an eternal perspective, are only different in one point – through Him all the people of the earth have been blessed, because through him the Messiah came to the earth. Unfortunately, the people who should be receiving the blessing are not because their hearts are desiring the things of the world rather than the things of God.

There are many obstacles Satan puts in people’s way to keep them from receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. One of the biggest ones is the consideration of what must be sacrificed. They have worked hard to get where they’ve gotten, be who they are, and have what they have. What if, as a part of God’s call on their life, they were asked to give it all up to serve Him? Could they do it? Many cannot. They make their decision about Christ based on a need to maintain control of their lives. They sacrifice the eternal on the altar of the immediate. The present experience of a few blessings keeps them from stepping out in faith which will result in the experience of complete blessing. They do not believe they can take God at His word.

Maybe, just maybe, it’s because they haven’t seen enough examples of Christians living such lives of obedience. Maybe if they saw more of us making earthly sacrifices and living in the joy of serving Jesus, they would be given the hope they need to take the same step of faith. Maybe, just maybe, if we were willing to leave everything behind to go at God’s Word to an unknown place, they would do the same.

We must each evaluate our own level of faith and obedience. Why? Because God still intends to bless you, but more importantly He intends to bless others through you, and He can only do that if you have put yourself in the right place to receive His blessing. The blessings of God are not ours to keep – they are ours to give. May our lives be a blessing to all people.

Pastor John